Our Story
Facial rehabilitation helps you address the physical, functional and psychosocial problems that occur with facial paralysis. Our mission is to improve access to high quality, expert care that reflects international best practice guidelines and current evidence for people with facial paresis and synkinesis due to Bell’s palsy, vestibular or facial nerve schwannoma, and other facial nerve injuries.
The Toronto Facial Palsy Clinic is a division of Vestibular Health, a clinic dedicated to helping patients who experience dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance due to inner ear and neurological disorders. Many people with vestibular disorders also experience related facial nerve palsy. This is often seen in patients who develop Ramsay Hunt syndrome or vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma). This branch of our practice grew from the needs of our patients.
Our primary clinic is located at Toronto General Hospital, with a satellite clinic at Bridgepoint Hospital.
Our Team
Shaleen Sulway
Facial Rehabilitation Physiotherapist
Shaleen is a highly experienced physiotherapist with over 24 years of experience. She is dedicated to helping people with facial nerve palsy and vestibular disorders. Shaleen is passionate about making a real difference in her patients' lives, offering individualized, compassionate care that helps people regain their function and confidence.
Shaleen is a member of Facial Therapy Specialists International, a global network committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based facial palsy care. She has advanced expertise in the assessment and treatment of facial palsy, including Bell’s palsy, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, post-surgical facial weakness, and synkinesis. Her clinical background gives her a comprehensive understanding of facial nerve disorders, particularly in cases where facial weakness overlaps with vestibular symptoms.
Shaleen’s commitment to facial palsy care became deeply personal in 2021, when her 14-year-old daughter experienced the sudden onset of acute facial palsy. This experience profoundly shaped her approach to treatment and reinforced the dedication to further advance her training in facial neuromuscular retraining. She has since completed multiple advanced and hands-on facial palsy courses and is now one of only 13 physiotherapists in Ontario to have completed all levels of formal training in the field.
She remains actively involved in ongoing mentorship with facial palsy physiotherapists and collaborates with plastic surgeons, neurologists and ENT specialists at the University Health Network.
In addition to her facial palsy training, Shaleen is an Advanced Practice Vestibular Physiotherapist, a designation that reflects her advanced diagnostic reasoning, complex case management, and specialized treatment for patients with dizziness. In 2024, she became one of Canada’s first physiotherapists to hold this advanced practice role at the Enhanced Dizzy Assessment Clinic (EDAC) at Toronto General Hospital. This advanced training strengthens her ability to assess complex facial nerve conditions and collaborate closely with medical specialists.
Drawing on decades of clinical experience and a compassionate, patient-centred approach, Shaleen helps individuals understand their condition, reduce symptoms, and move confidently through each phase of recovery. She partners with patients to set meaningful goals and provides guidance and support throughout their facial palsy journey.